DEC says no further cleanup needed at Falls brownfield

NIAGARA FALLS – The state Department of Environmental Conservation has decided that no further work is needed at Tract I, a former industrial site on Highland Avenue in Niagara Falls, now owned by Brightfield Corp.

Activity over the past two years at the 5.9-acre site included demolition of the former Power City Warehouse, a three-story masonry building, later owned by Prestolite Co. Other work included removal of 50 cubic yards of radioactive slag, similar to that found on the recent Lewiston Road repaving job and other Falls sites; excavation of 11,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, in which lead was the primary pollutant; and removal of four underground storage tanks.

The DEC is taking public comments until July 25 on its decision that the cleanup is done. If that is the final outcome, Brightfield will be eligible for tax credits to offset its cleanup and redevelopment costs, the DEC said.

Tract I adjoins the 18-acre Tract II, a state Superfund hazardous waste site, also owned by Brightfield. A former owner, Honeywell Corp., is paying for an estimated $6 million cleanup there.